Backpacking in September...

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Whale-watching tours are offered throughout the world, but only on the Tongan island group of Vava‘u can you actually swim beside the whales, a controversial if exhilarating brush with nature. Humpback whales come to these waters between July and November, and visitors to the town of Neiafu can board boats, cruise up to the whales and snorkel around them. It’s a controversial practice - some say the regular presence of boats and humans in the water disturbs the mothers and calves just when they are most vulnerable, and may force them to abandon the area before they are ready. One tour operator in Neiafu refuses to allow swimming for this reason. But many people who have swum with whales say they experience a sense of mutual curiosity, rather than alarm or distress.

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Source: http://www.gogapyear.com/september